[KLUG Members] Re: File type DXF?

[Bryan-TheBS-Smith]

Adam Williams wrote:
> Yep, qcad (free, GPL'd) opened it just fine.

What version was your AutoCAD file?

> Of course it is one of those cruddy Qt apps. ;)

Actually, the main competitor to AutoCAD (name escapes me) that Visio
bought and Microsoft used as leverage against AutoCAD (to get them to
adopt VB over LISP, despite the loss of all the existing add-ons), has
been "open sourced."  It's a very restrictive license though, one that
scares me, even though I want to see a Linux port -- especially since I
don't think Microsoft would let AutoDesk see competition from now that
they are a "partner."

> Does anyone use CAD software on Linux?  If so, what is your
> favorite flavor?

BRL-CAD from the US Army.  Of course, I'm coming from a viewpoint of
engineering analysis, and not a "technical drawing" application.  IMHO,
AutoCAD is a drawing app compared to the 3D modeling programs out there.

Kinda akin to my view of word processors v. desktop publishing/typeset. 
One is used to arbitrarily write, the other is to professionally
publish.

> Mmmm.  I think comparing Autocad and Office is unfair.  Office just is
> "another stupid" office automation (word processing, spreadsheet,
> etc..), a software category that hasn't made any significant
> improvements (arguably, but IMHO) since GEOS on the Commodore 64.  The
> reason Autocad maintains it's "monopoly" (which it doesn't really have)
> is because the people who use it every day... really know HOW to use
> it.  And the cost-per-hour of such a person is usually pretty high,  so
> you give them what makes them the most productive irregardless of the
> cost.

Actually, that sounds like MS Office again!  People argue that they
don't use non-MS suites because of the "retraining" involved.  Same goes
for AutoCAD.  Worse yet, people feel like MS Office and AutoCAD are the
only ones with 3rd party add-ons, when in fact the non-MS/Autodesk
alternatives have more and better add-ons, and most of them are free!

> If AutoCAD has limited capacity then whatever product your comparing
> it to must be amazing.

AutoCAD by itself is lacking IMHO.  Sure, there are a lot of add-ons,
and then you are talking a lot of money.

> Maybe it is a regional thing,  but everywhere I go here (robotic and
> aerospace firms,  tool-n-die shops, everything is done on AutoCad).

Pro/E and other systems here.  Anything that doesn't work well with
NASTRAN and other analysis systems are things I don't want to touch.

> But if your not doing DTP, it isn't a problem.

But too many people try to do DTP with word processing.  _That's_ what
I'm saying.

> And the same applies for cultural degeneration, environmental problems,
> etc...  But what constitutes a "problem" is what all the arguing is
> about.

Worse yet, the "remedies" are often far worse.  Whether we are talking
cultures, the environment, monopolies, etc...

-- TheBS

-- 
Bryan "TheBS" Smith    mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org   chat:thebs413
Engineer  AbsoluteValue Systems, Inc.  http://www.linux-wlan.org
President     SmithConcepts, Inc.   http://www.SmithConcepts.com
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